Past exam of the mathematics course of the University of Cambridge 2017 ii Paper 4 13B Solution Created 2026-09-24 Updated 2026-10-05
A positive spatially homogeneous equilibrium satisfies and , givingIt exists iff . The reaction Jacobian matrix isThus linear stability analysis gives strict homogeneous stability precisely whenThe boundaries are not included: at the linearization has purely imaginary exponents, and at the positive equilibrium ceases to exist.
For a mode , put . The perturbation matrix is . In the homogeneously stable region its trace is still negative, so a growing mode exists iff its determinant is negative:This upward quadratic is negative for some precisely whenSuch a Turing instability region is nonempty iff . The unstable band isFor a finite domain only the admissible boundary-condition wavenumbers in this band grow. The region shown below describes a continuous wavenumber spectrum.
At onset the minimum of is zero and . On the threshold , substitution gives . HenceThis last expression is the threshold wavenumber; away from onset the fastest-growing mode need not coincide with the minimum of the determinant.
Past exam of the mathematics course of the University of Cambridge 2017 ii Paper 4 21F i Solution Created 2026-09-24 Updated 2026-10-05
For a bounded linear operator on a complex Hilbert space, the spectrum of a bounded operator consists of for which does not have a bounded everywhere-defined inverse. A bijective bounded operator has a bounded inverse by the bounded inverse theorem. Using the disjoint spectral convention,These are respectively the point spectrum, continuous spectrum and residual spectrum, and partition the spectrum. Some texts let residual spectrum include noninjective operators with nondense range; the displayed convention excludes overlap with point spectrum.
Past exam of the mathematics course of the University of Cambridge 2018 iii Paper 308 2 Solution Created 2026-10-03 Updated 2026-10-05
A collective coordinate describes a position, orientation, or another parameter of a family of static solitons. For a family , promote to a slowly varying and substitute into the field action. In a scalar theory with unit kinetic coefficient, this gives the collective-coordinate effective LagrangianFor a gauge-theory soliton, one also solves the Gauss law constraint in gauge theory constraint and projects out pure gauge transformations; arbitrary variations of gauge representatives do not define the physical metric. Tangent vectors to an exactly equal-energy family are zero modes in field theory. If is constant, the Euler-Lagrange equations of this moduli-space approximation arethe geodesic equations of its Riemannian metric. The approximation neglects radiation and deformation modes; it describes motion sufficiently slow that these omitted degrees of freedom remain unexcited to the required accuracy.
In collective-coordinate quantization, take the wavefunction measure and the minimal scalar Hamiltonian operatorThe Laplace-Beltrami operator supplies coordinate-invariant kinetic energy. Global identifications and statistics must be imposed on the wavefunctions; the classical metric alone does not choose them. Curvature-ordering terms and loop corrections are additional quantum input.
For the phi-four kink, use the normalization and profile of Question 1. Substituting givesThe metric is constant because of translation invariance. This proves the translational dynamics of a phi-four kink: classically the centre moves at constant velocity, and quantum mechanicallyPlane waves label the continuous translational momentum, with no position-dependent potential. Uniform-motion Lorentz invariance upgrades the dispersion to ; the displayed collective Lagrangian is its small-velocity expansion. Small perturbations also include an internal shape mode and continuum radiation, which this single collective coordinate omits. The fluctuation operator of a phi-four kink in this normalization isthe translational eigenfunction has , the shape mode has , and continuum modes in the spectrum start at . Thus the free-coordinate states describe the kink's low translational energies, not its full excitation spectrum or quantum mass correction.
For two Abelian Higgs vortices at critical coupling, the static energy is and the Abelian Higgs vortex moduli space has four real dimensions. Let be their positions, , and . The centre of mass decouples; the relative metric is rotationally symmetric and can be writtenAt large separation, , recovering two free particles. Although there is no static separation potential, the nonconstant metric produces velocity-dependent interaction. Coincidence is smooth in the relative coordinate for two identical vortices , not in the double-valued . Smoothness gives for near zero. A head-on geodesic continues through to the opposite real ray, so changes its line by : the vortices scatter through a right angle. This geometric argument does not require an explicit formula for .
With ordinary bosonic exchange statistics, relative wavefunctions are single-valued in and smooth at coincidence. In the separated polar coordinate they obey , with even integer angular labels. Their kinetic operator isThe apparent singularity at must be resolved with the smooth coordinate and regularity, rather than arbitrary boundary conditions on a punctured cone. The free centre-of-mass motion and the asymptotically free relative geometry give quantum scattering states; a flat static energy does not imply that the metric is flat or that scattering is absent. This is not a prediction of a discrete family of static two-vortex bound separations. The smooth collision geometry is developed in David Tong's arxiv.org/abs/hep-th/0509216.
For a Skyrmion of baryon number one, the Skyrmion hedgehog ansatz iswhere are the Pauli matrices. Include a centre and an orientation through . Hedgehog symmetry identifies spatial rotations with opposite internal rotations, so there are three independent orientation coordinates, not six. Since and give the same field, the physical orientation space is , with SU(2) group as its double cover. Write . The leading collective Lagrangian has the formwhere is the rotational moment of inertia obtained by integrating the profile's field kinetic energy.
For the fermionic quantization appropriate to baryons, the Finkelstein-Rubinstein constraints on the double cover impose . In SU(2) representations, the central element acts by , so must be half-integer. Left and right group actions supply isospin and spin angular momentum; hedgehog symmetry makes their magnitudes equal. The rotational quantization of a unit Skyrmion therefore givesThe level has four spin-isospin states and models the nucleon doublet, proton and neutron, each with two spin states. The level has sixteen states and models the Delta baryon quartet, each with four spin states. The rotor predicts a splitting . Without the fermionic sign, single-valued functions on would instead allow integer , which is a different quantization. High rotor levels can couple to deformation and pion radiation; this semiclassical approximation does not establish that its entire formal tower consists of stable particles.
Past exam of the mathematics course of the University of Cambridge 2020 ii Paper 3 21I a Solution Created 2026-09-24 Updated 2026-09-29
For a bounded linear operator , the spectrum iswhile the point spectrum is the set of eigenvalues, equivalently the for which is not injective.
A compact operator maps the unit ball to a relatively compact set. A self-adjoint operator satisfies , or for all . A finite-rank operator has finite-dimensional image.
Past exam of the mathematics course of the University of Cambridge 2021 ii Paper 1 41E b Solution Created 2026-09-24 Updated 2026-10-03
False under the hypotheses as printed. Nonzero coefficients do not ensure the two-column dominant-subspace condition.
For a counterexample, take , eigenvaluesand an orthonormal eigenbasis for whichThe two displayed coefficient vectors are orthonormal and can be completed to an orthogonal matrix, so such a real symmetric matrix exists. Every and is nonzero, butIndeed, with ,is a nonzero multiple of , while the remaining direction in
isThusBy the simultaneous iteration interpretation of the QR algorithm, the leading two columns of the accumulated factor span this same space. The leading block is therefore an orthogonal-coordinate representation of the compression of to this space. Sincewe havefor every relevant , rather than . Hence the requested Hausdorff convergence does not hold.
isThusBy the simultaneous iteration interpretation of the QR algorithm, the leading two columns of the accumulated factor span this same space. The leading block is therefore an orthogonal-coordinate representation of the compression of to this space. Sincewe havefor every relevant , rather than . Hence the requested Hausdorff convergence does not hold.
For completeness, the intended statement becomes true if one addsLet consist of the first two columns of . The Accumulated QR factorization identity givesAfter division by , every component along
tends to zero because of the strict spectral gap, while makes the two surviving dominant components independent. Therefore these two-dimensional subspaces converge to the dominant invariant subspaceThere are two-by-two orthogonal matrices such thatBecauseup to the harmless index convention at , we obtainin the matrix 2-norm. Orthogonal similarity preserves the spectrum, and the stated spectral perturbation bound now gives
tends to zero because of the strict spectral gap, while makes the two surviving dominant components independent. Therefore these two-dimensional subspaces converge to the dominant invariant subspaceThere are two-by-two orthogonal matrices such thatBecauseup to the harmless index convention at , we obtainin the matrix 2-norm. Orthogonal similarity preserves the spectrum, and the stated spectral perturbation bound now gives
Past exam of the mathematics course of the University of Cambridge 2024 ii Paper 1 19H Solution Created 2026-09-23 Updated 2026-09-25
A complex representation of is a complex vector space together with a homomorphismIt is faithful when , equivalently when is injective. Every finite group has a faithful complex representation: in the regular representation, permutes the basis byand a group element fixing every basis vector must be the identity.
If is conjugate to , then is similar to . Thus the two matrices have the same spectrum, while an eigenvalue of gives the eigenvalue of . Hence
Now take a -cycle . It is conjugate to for every . Faithfulness makes have order , so its spectrum contains a nontrivial th root of unity . The preceding implication puts all the distinct valuesin the spectrum. Therefore . This is the spectrum orbit bound for a faithful symmetric-group representation.
Finally let be the group of all permutations of . It has no faithful finite-dimensional complex representation. For every , contains a subgroup generated by disjoint transpositions. In a -dimensional complex representation, commuting involutions are simultaneously diagonalizable and hence map into the group of diagonal sign matrices, which has order . A faithful restriction would require for every , an impossibility.
Past exam of the mathematics course of the University of Cambridge 2024 ii Paper 4 17I Solution Created 2026-09-23 Updated 2026-09-25
A strongly regular graph with parameters is -regular, with every adjacent pair having common neighbours and every distinct nonadjacent pair having common neighbours. Its adjacency matrix satisfiesOn the orthogonal complement of the all-one vector, the two possible eigenvalues areUsing and gives exactly the two displayed expressions for . They are eigenspace dimensions and hence integers, proving the rationality condition.
The Petersen graph has parameters , so its spectrum isIf three Petersen graphs partitioned , their adjacency matrices would satisfy . The five-dimensional eigenvalue-one spaces of and inside the nine-dimensional space intersect nontrivially. For a nonzero common vector , and thereforecontradicting the Petersen spectrum. No such partition exists.
Past exam of the mathematics course of the University of Cambridge 2024 ii Paper 4 22G a Solution Created 2026-09-24 Updated 2026-09-25
Suppose the spectrum were empty. The resolventwould then be an entire operator-valued function. For ,because the series converges in operator norm and multiplication by telescopes to . Hence .
Past exam of the mathematics course of the University of Cambridge 2024 ii Paper 4 22G b iii Solution Created 2026-09-24 Updated 2026-10-03
The weighted shift is compact because truncating after the first weights gives finite-rank operators converging in norm, as . Moreoverso its spectral radius is zero. Since the spectrum is nonempty,
Past exam of the mathematics course of the University of Cambridge 2024 ii Paper 4 22G b i Solution Created 2026-09-24 Updated 2026-10-03
This is the unilateral right shift. It is not compact because the orthonormal sequence has no convergent subsequence. Its norm is one. For the Neumann series gives a resolvent; for , is an eigenvalue of the adjoint left shift, so lies in the spectrum of . Closedness supplies the boundary. Hence
Past exam of the mathematics course of the University of Cambridge 2026 ii Paper 3 17J b Solution Created 2026-09-24 Updated 2026-09-25
Past exam of the mathematics course of the University of Cambridge 2026 ii Paper 3 21I a Solution Created 2026-09-24 Updated 2026-09-25
Positive contraction Created 2026-10-05 Updated 2026-10-06
A positive contraction is a positive operator whose operator norm is at most one. Its spectrum lies in , so the spectral theorem for normal operators gives . Positive contractions are the effects in a POVM and occur in the pure-state gentle measurement bound.
Positive operator Created 2026-09-24 Updated 2026-10-06
A bounded Hermitian operator on a Hilbert space is positive when for every . Its spectrum is contained in .
Resolvent formalism 2026-10-06
The resolvent formalism studies the spectrum through the resolvent of an operator and its dependence on a complex spectral parameter. This connects operator theory with complex analysis.
Resolvent spectral mapping identity 2026-10-06
